IBPS PO/MT Preliminary syllabus and paper pattern
IBPS Probationary Officer / Management Trainee (CRP PO/MTs-XVI) preliminary exam: official test structure with section-wise questions, marks and timing, negative marking and a free 100-question model paper.
- MCQs
- 100
- Marks
- 100
- Time
- 60 min
Official syllabus
Preliminary Examination (Objective Test): 1. English Language – 30 questions, 30 marks, medium English, 20 minutes; 2. Quantitative Aptitude – 35 questions, 30 marks, English and Hindi, 20 minutes; 3. Reasoning Ability – 35 questions, 40 marks, English and Hindi, 20 minutes. Total 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes (each test separately timed). Candidates have to qualify in each of the three tests by securing minimum cut-off marks to be decided by IBPS. Penalty for wrong answers (applicable to both Online Preliminary and Online Main Examination): for each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate one fourth or 0.25 of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at corrected score. If a question is left blank, there will be no penalty for that question.
Source: wording from the official IBPS syllabus document(s) listed below.
Paper sections and what to study
Important notes
- Marks are not equal across sections: Quantitative Aptitude has 35 questions for 30 marks, and Reasoning Ability 35 questions for 40 marks.
- Each section has its own 20-minute timer in the real exam. Our model paper uses one 60-minute timer, so practise watching the clock section by section.
- You must clear the cut-off in each section, not just the total, so don't neglect your weakest section.
- Patterns can change between recruitment cycles. Always read the notification for your own cycle on ibps.in.
Official sources
- IBPS: Notification for Common Recruitment Process CRP-PO/MTs-XVI · dated 1 July 2026
Checked on 27 October 2026. Always confirm the scheme and syllabus in the official notice or advertisement for your own exam.